Pam Allyn's Best Books for Boys

Throughout my ten years of teaching, I’ve had the opportunity to teach a great mix of boys and girls.  I really strive to find the best books for each student, looking for titles that they will connect to.  I find that I can quickly rattle off many great reads for girls (I’m raising two daughters), but I don’t have the same knowledge when finding books for boys. 

Just when I was looking for a resource to help fill this gap, I was given the chance to read and review Pam Allyn’s book, Best Books for Boys:  How to Engage Boys in Reading in Ways That Will Change Their Lives.  This book is an excellent compilation of ideas for getting boys reading that includes a complete, resourceful annotated list of books, organized by categories.

Allyn starts the book with her reasons for the focus on finding books for boys and how detrimental our country’s focus on standardized testing has been to our boys.  She then gives advice, through a question and answer section, for helping boys become more engaged in reading.

As I read the question and answer section, I was thrilled to find many ideas for helping boys (and all readers) find that reading is a worthwhile activity.  Allyn urges teachers to provide social opportunities for readers, encourage reading across genres and formats, and above all, give students “reserved, protected time to read every day.”  YES!

Allyn created a wide-ranging, annotated list of books that will appeal to boys at emerging, developing and maturing reading levels.  The books are organized into categories, including standards like Sports and Humor, but she then delves into specific categories including Expeditions and Mechanics and Technology.  I was pleased to find a great number of appealing books, and I plan to use Allyn’s list to guide my summer reading and book purchases.

Best Books for Boys:  How to Engage Boys in Reading in Ways That Will Change Their Lives is a great addition to your teacher resource collection. 

*Electronic review copy provided